Aston Villa new boy Idrissa Gueye might be better known for his defensive work, but the 25-year-old midfielder has told AVTV that he is aiming to become a goalscoring outlet for Tim Sherwood’s side.

Gueye joined Villa earlier this month on a four-year deal from Lille for a reported £9 million, having made 176 total appearances for the French club over the past five seasons.

Labelled one of Ligue 1’s top emerging talents in recent campaigns, the Senegal international was linked with the likes of Marseille and Southampton [h/t Daily Mail] before landing a move to the Midlands, where he is expected to become an instant starter in the centre of the park.

While originally more of a defensive midfielder, his growing versatility has earned him comparisons to Chelsea’s Ramires of late and, after recording a career-best four goals and three assists last term, the though-tackling signing believes he is better-suited to a box-to-box role.

“I’m a box-to-box player,” Gueye told AVTV. “I can defend but l also want to get goals, so I’m going to work very hard [to score more].

“I spoke with Tim Sherwood and he told me he can do many things for me,” he added. “I’m very happy to work with a good manager like him.

“I’m looking forward to playing at Villa Park and very excited for the first game there [against Manchester United].”

Gueye, who had been on Lille’s books since the age of 13, initially looked set to partner Fabian Delph in Villa’s midfield until the now-departed skipper performed a shock second U-turn in the space of a week last Friday by joining Manchester City in an £8 million deal.

Now tasked with replacing the England international, he will not have too much work to do to surpass his predecessor’s goalscoring impact, considering Delph never managed to hit the back of the net more than four times in a season for the claret and blues.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.